Sun Prairie board votes to raise Ho-Chunk Nation flag after student committee recommendation

The Sun Prairie Area School District board approved revisions to district policy IMDA on the display of flags, authorizing the Ho-Chunk Nation flag to be raised on district flagpoles and directing ceremonial acknowledgements in partnership with Indigenous students and community members.

The change followed a presentation from a First Nations Flags Committee and members of the United Indigenous Student Union, who urged the board to pair land acknowledgements with tangible steps to recognize Indigenous presence in district schools. Committee organizer Jenny King introduced the initiative and invited students and community members to describe the process that led to the recommendation.

Student leaders who helped form the committee said they selected the flag‑raising option after consulting with Indigenous students and community representatives. Mazar Gill, a recent Sun Prairie East graduate who helped found the United Indigenous Student Union, said the committee was “so pleased to see where it is today and excited to see where it will be later in the fall.” Student representative Grace described the work as important for bringing visible representation to students’ everyday school experience.

Administrators told the board the policy change is modest on its face — a “slight change” to IMDA — but will be accompanied by ceremonial flag‑raisings during convocation, school‑level commemoration events when the flags are raised for the first time, and the display of the 12 Wisconsin First Nations flags inside high schools. The administration said it has purchased flags for the high schools and will schedule ceremonies next school year.

A board member who moved the motion noted the district’s equity goals and thanked the students and community members who participated. The motion carried on a roll call vote with all members voting in favor.

The district said exceptions and ceremonial details will be handled through administrative procedures and that the policy revision specifically identifies the Ho‑Chunk Nation flag as the first to be raised, reflecting the nation historically associated with the land where the district sits. The district also committed to additional outreach and to pairing the flag displays with learning opportunities and ceremonial respect.

The policy change takes effect following the formal updating of district handbooks and administrative guidelines; the board said it will coordinate convocation and building‑level ceremonies before the flags are displayed publicly.